[1] During its time of existence, it was a very prestigious South American club football contest, similar to the UEFA Cup.

The tournament ended in 1999, following the expansion of the Copa Libertadores to 32 teams.

[2][3][4][5][6][7][8] The last champion of the competition was Talleres, while Atlético Mineiro is the most successful club in the cup history, having won the tournament two times.

[9][10] Each national association was assigned a number of entries determined by CONMEBOL which changed slightly from one edition to another.

The tournament started in the first stage in which 16 clubs were paired in a series of two-legged knockout ties in the round of 16, the first of four stages that worked on a single elimination phase knockout system that culminated in the finals.